Marie-Eleonore Godefroid (1778-1849), who was born into a dynasty of Royal picture restorers, lived until 1788 in the Louvre Palace where she learned drawing and painting along with Isabey and Francois Gerard. From 1795 or 1797 until 1805 she taught drawing and pianoforte at, Madame Campan's school before joining Gerard in Paris. Between 1800 and 1847, the artist took part in nineteen salons,
... [Show full abstract] exhibiting forty portraits and several history paintings, won medals ill 1812 and 1824, and received numerous commissions for portraits after Gerard, including a full-length portrait of the Empress Marie-Louise and of Louis XVIII as well as other portraits for the Musee de l'Histoire de France: those of Prince Talleyrand, Jacques-Louis David and Madame Campan. The GhAteaLl de Versailles also possesses a portrait, of Jacques-Alexandre Law,after Gerard, and another of Madame de Stael. Gerard played an important role in the career of the artist who, in her handwritten Memoires, evoked her intimate relationship with the master, his work and his studio. The study of Marie-Eleonore Godefroid's career allows us to further our knowledge of Baron Gerard and his studio, as well as of the lives of early 19(th)-century artists.
